A Day's Work by Eve Bunting

A Day's Work
by Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Ronald Himler

Francisco, a young Mexican-American boy, is very passionate about helping his family find work and make ends meet. He and his grandfather walk down and stand amongst a group of men each Saturday, looking for manual labor work. Francisco translates for his grandfather, who speaks Spanish. One day, a gardening truck comes along and offers Francisco and his grandfather "A Day's Work". When the instructions for work are lost in translation, Francisco learns the valuable lesson of what it means to be fully honest.

My third graders loved this story. It is incredibly thought provoking. My students were puzzled after first reading it, and it actually turned into a great conversation about race and language. They were also interested in talking about the intergenerational aspect of this sweet story.

This is an absolutely beautiful story: the illustrations, storyline, and the values it instills in the readers. It reaches beyond a specific grade level, and rather is a story for anyone who will stop at nothing to support their family. It may bring a tear to your eye!

A read aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1a3bRWr92c

Meet Eve Bunting (not related to the book, but I thought it was interesting!):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-xAtg5dqto